QUANTUM OF SOLACE/SLICE OF ACTION

Bond is not back big time until October 31st but already you can catch glimpses of him. You might not find this very remarkable but, believe it or not, many films like to hide their light under a basket until the week or two before they are released.

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The argument seems to be that too much exposure too far in advance might lead to a lack of interest once the film actually hits the screens.

In keeping with his confident character, Bond has no such reservations.

Exposure? Bring it on.

Indeed, whereas in his last outing, Casino Royale, Bond aka Daniel Craig gained notoriety for his pectorals and bathing trunks, now he can be seen in all his natural glory.

Peeping good looks aside, there should be a considerable quantity of hard packed action stunts in Quantum of Solace (which must go down as the most challenging name for a Bond film ever! Quite a feat, considering that it is number 22 in the fanchise!)

The script comes from British Bond stalwarts Neal Purvis & Robert Wade, with a little help from Crash man Paul Haggis, so it is bound to live up to scratch in terms of over the top antics.

But it is also certain to accentuate the more sympathetic side of Bond that was hinted at in CR, given that it is directed by Germany’s Marc Forster, following an eclectic series of hits running from Monster’s Ball, through Finding Neverland and Stranger Than Fiction to last year’s Kite Runner.

Plot-wise, you may recall that at the end of his last mission, Bond had been fiendishly betrayed by the enchanting Vesper. Small wonder then that he is more keen than usual to knock a few heads together, despite his suave veneer and the British code of fair play.

Helping to rein in his enthusiasm is the news from M that Vesper was not actually a willing villain but rather a helpless pawn blackmailed into her evil actions by a fantastically complex and dangerous organisation.

Now happily engaged by a "save the world" mission rather than a simple matter of the heart, Bond buckles down, discovers that an Mi6 traitor has been stashing bucks in a bank in Haiti and pays a hasty visit to thel island.

Naturally he finding banking there more interesting than ordinary mortals and is quickly introduced to the beautiful Olga Kurylenkon who leads him, in turn, to old foe Mathieu Amalric, a king pin said organisation.

Seems that Amalric is not merely in Haiti for the sun but conspiring to take control of one of the world’s most important natural resources and, in the process, overthrow a Latin American government or two.

Only gradually and suspensefully, while playing games with the good guys (like M), the bad guys (terrorists), and the in-betweens (the CIA), does Bond uncover those responsible for the betrayal of Vesper and, almost as important, rescue the planet.

First trailer link.

Posted July 9, 2008.